Lost Dream
by Cryptek12
Summary: In an unfortunate timeline where the Summoners have failed to stop Lucius, the God of the Gate has ruled Elgaia AND Grand Gaia with an iron (and deceptively gentle) fist. A year later, people who have long since detested his rule fled to another universe, only to be challenged by the god himself to a game, involving a digitized version of their original universe. (Accepting OCs!)
1. It's The Start

"So this Earth, what was 'interesting' about it, other than those... escapees Captain?"

"It was investigated that there happened to be a game based upon our world. These games were played in special devices generally known as 'smartphones' and 'tablets'."

"Interesting, yet merely as impressive as many other worlds I have but glimpsed of. Hmm..."

"Lord Lucius?"

"Gather your lieutenants for a meeting. The rebels linger on that world in order to ensure that I would not break some certain laws. To find them all would require an incredible amount of presence, which would mean breaking such universal rules I know of, rules that have been there for good reasons."

"But Bergus - though minor and old - is one to follow such rules, would he not?"

"Yes, but the laws state that knowledge of other worlds must stay secret whenever possible. Furthermore, Bergus has capable magicians to weave a dimensional pocket or any glamour of his choosing. Searching for him, even if we know the world he and the others are on, even with my powers and all the assets we have... it will be exceedingly difficult."

"We do not have the manpower either, do we?"

"Correct. The Imperial Guard is composed of skilled warriors, but not all of them are trustworthy. The androids are incomplete, and would take too long to develop before Bergus strikes back. The only worthy ones deserving of my power are so few in number, and we need them to keep the Capital under security. Dispatching them now would be unwise."

"But what does this have to do with the game?"

"A game of our own. A game that Bergus and his allies would be interested in, especially when their rebellion is spread to thin, that it would time to create a force of their own. A challenge they may certainly accept, one of shadows, one of glory, one of destruction, all kept secret in the digital world. Come Captain. We have much to do."

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _ **Author's Note: First of all, I would like to apologize for any possible confusion brought about by the duplicate chapters of the prologue and the first. It appears I mistook the first chapter in my documents for the prologue. How inattentive of me. Please thank The Fell Angel, who was the one to notify me of this mistake. And I really am grateful.**_

 _ **Luckily, this was just a short chapter meant to foreshadow the events to come, not that they are serious or dark.**_

 _ **While I was trying to find a copy of the prologue (which did not exist), I realized that this is a good chance to improve my OC form for any future readers looking to submit original humans and Summoners into this story. The other forms I saw, especially The Blue Tigrex's form, had more detail.**_

 _ **For those of you who have already submitted an OC (I count around nine, ten later), do not worry. The forms are still valid, but this is a revised form. It is OPTIONAL to submit using this one.**_

 _ **Again, the OCs submitted are assumed to be humans on Earth (player Summoners, ordinary bystanders and whatnot). Only send your forms with Private Messages.**_

 _ **Remember, do not make any OCs too powerful and unrealistic.**_

* * *

 _ **Here is the form:**_

 _ **GENERAL**_

 _ **Full Name: (General identity.)**_

 _ **Nicknames: (Any kind their friends/enemies/co-workers call them.)**_

 _ **Gender: (Male/Female/Ambiguous)**_

 _ **Age: (Self-explanatory.)**_

 _ **Birthday: (Also self-explanatory.)**_

 ** _Occupation: (Those who are below 18 must_** ** _be in school or going through education. Those over that age must have a job, part- or full-time ones, although they may have none at all.)_**

 _ **Nationality: (On Earth of course.)**_

 _ **Family and Friends: (Blood relatives or other people the character knows, like parents, cousins, schoolmates and acquaintances.)**_

 _ **APPEARANCE (CLOTHING)**_

 _ **Casual: (What your character wears the most. Please include accessories, and be particular about your articles of clothing, not like saying 'black clothing' or 'red dress'. For example, if it is a dress, then mention if it is sleeveless and plain, or sparkling and frilly.)**_

 _ **Formal: (For occasions, like proms and meetings.)**_

 _ **Cold Weather: (The kind that keeps you warm, especially during Christmas.)**_

 _ **Hot Weather: (The ones that help keep cool, especially in deserts.)**_

 _ **Swimwear: (For beaches and swimming.)**_

 _ **Sleepwear: (For bedtime.)**_

 _ **APPEARANCE (LOOKS)**_

 _ **General: (Be detailed with what they look like. Be particular about some parts of how they look like, like skin color, color of their irises and pupils, face shape, dyes and such.)**_

 _ **Hairstyle and Length: (Style of what their hair would look like (if they have any) and a general length like 'shoulder-length' or 'ankle-length'.)**_

 _ **Height: (In inches and centimetres.)**_

 _ **Build: (Like broad, muscled, lanky, thin, plump, petite and such.)**_

 _ **PERSONALITY**_

 _ **General: (Describe your OC's personality with detail. -dere system accepted, but be sure to be accurate.)**_

 _ **Traits: (List, but describe what you mean for every perk and quirk.)**_

 _ **Likes: (Anything...)**_

 _ **Dislikes: (...and Everything.)**_

 _ **HISTORY**_

 _ **Biography: (Be imaginative and not vague please. Give the entire history of your character, from the time they were born, to the year 2016. Although, you can do your best to summarize it, if you do not want me making up backstory for the characters.)**_

 _ **GEAR**_

 _ **Weapons: (Provide in-depth detail of your characters signature choice of physical battle objects, whether they support, whether they are offensive, if they are swords with a red blade or mechs capable of destroying buildings or toolboxes.)**_

 _ **Battle Gear: (If you forgo this, your OC will use casual clothing. If not, then provide a detailed description like you would with appearances.)**_

 _ **COMBAT**_

 _ **Combat Style: (Ranging from fast movement to ninjutsu to none except brains, make sure to provide such descriptions.)**_

 _ **Class Archetype: (Choose: Scout, Shocktrooper, Sentinel, Sniper or Support?)**_

 _ **Strengths: (Defining kinds that your character is good at in fights.)**_

 _ **Weaknesses: (Their fatal flaws and such.)**_

 _ **Abilities: (Magic, skills, paranormal, special abilities you would notice in games and TV.)**_

 _ **EXTRA**_

 _ **(If there are any things that cannot be included in the above categories, put them here.)**_

 _ **Notable Features: (Sharp teeth, rosy lips and the like.)**_

 _ **Quotes: (Put multiple clothes if you can, to describe how they speak and how they act.)**_

 _ **Living Conditions: (Choose: Poor, Middle, Rich?)**_

 _ **Plots you would like to see for your character: (That is, something exciting you want for your character, any ideas you want to share.)**_

* * *

 _ **And that is all. Enjoy reading this story of mine, the first ever story I released on.**_


	2. It's A Start!

_Years ago..._

"Maxwell, Cardes, Zevalhua, Afla Dilith...? And Lucius..."

"Summoner... traitor, you shall never touch day from this moment on...!"

"With ghosts? I have friends even better than that."

"Friends? Your Summoners and allies have not a chance of saving you. Your Units have been sealed off. I, after all, am God of the Gate."

"Those seals?"

 _Slash._

"This... this power!"

"Surprised? Humans grow all the time. We're not the enemies you think you can get rid of easily!"

"No matter. Fallen Gods, hear me!"

"Units, heed my call!"

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _The present, 19th of July_

The average student in this neighbourhood would wake up some time before the school bus arrives at their bus stop, to brush their teeth, clean themselves, eat breakfast, and whatever made their daily routines.

One such boy was occupied with his older sister at their front door.

Maxwell Graham Sheffield is a twelve-year-old student, soon turning thirteen in exactly two months. He has oak-brown hair tipped with a blending crimson red, which came from his mother and father respectively. His hazel eyes were hidden slightly by his unkempt, short and spiky hair. He stood at 4'9", with a build balancing lankiness and good muscle.

Like most uniformed male students in the area, he wore a crimson-red blazer with the insignia of a green tree on his breast pocket to the right of his blazer. Other than that, he wore a plain white shirt, a dark green tie and black trousers.

As for the older sister, her appearance is very similar to the boy in front of her, making her look like a tomboy at 5'6", but she still has a moderately-shapely figure that could turn heads at the age of sixteen. Her hair is spiky and short, but a long length of sleek hair at the back ran down to her waist. Like Maxwell, her hair is brown tipped with red, which meant that the hair on her back is completely red from the neck down.

She wore a white sleeveless vest, a midnight-black T-shirt with long sleeves reaching her wrists, matching black gloves with red patches on her knuckles, grey jeans with the faded military-shaped number '82' in a reddish-brown colour, and red sneakers. This is what Elle Ray-Isaac Sheffield would call her 'work outfit'.

"Okay," she was saying, "your water bottle?"

"Yeah," Maxwell lamely replied.

"Shoes?"

"They aren't slippers like last time."

"Where is your tie?"

"Wha-?" He checked his neck frantically-

"E-Elle! You didn't have to joke like that!" Maxwell shouted, but relieved he still wore it.

His sister just giggled and unexpectedly kissed his forehead, earning a slight blush from the younger sibling.

"Just stay out of trouble as much as you can in your new school this time, okay?" Elle said with a mixture of concern and confidence.

Maxwell gave her a grin. "I'll be fine. I made good friends back then, remember? I'll make friends faster than last time!"

And he ran off, not wanting to be late, yelling, "See you later sis!"

Seeing him run off, Elle told herself, "My dear brother is tough. He can take care of himself. Though hopefully he won't try to attract attention like those few times..."

She just shook her head and prepared to get her little sister to daycare.

 _Woodbury Private School, Middle School Building_

Woodbury, the setting in which the following plot shall take place in, is a town not too far from Los Angeles, surrounded by a forest of pine and maple trees. It was well-known for its refreshing setting and convenient variety of stores and institutions anyone living there could use.

It was populated for such reasons that it could have become a city, yet it still was designated as a town, and it always stayed that way for years.

But back to our main character.

The Sheffields are a recent family of orphans whose parents were killed in ways most people would consider gruesome. Their uncle and aunt in San Francisco cared for them until Elle was sixteen and just old enough to be a legal guardian.

One day, they found out that their old house in Woodbury was given to Elle as inheritance, as notified by a lawyer, which was something their parents prepared as a sort-of parting gift. Deciding that it would be a waste to let the house crumble on its own for nothing, and not wanting an old home full of memories go, Elle took up ownership and had herself sign up for the convenient high school there (although a gas explosion at the high school building wrecked a huge part of it, delaying Elle's and the other students' attendance for a week), and Maxwell to middle school. Their three-year-old little sister, Isabelle, would go to a daycare, and soon, a kindergarten.

Their uncle, being a businessman with plenty of riches to spare, and their aunt, who is a popular seamstress and painter, added to that, always sent them money every now and then, although Elle was considering getting a part-time job out of a feel for independence.

So, the school.

It was a rather large place, school buildings being four stories high and occupying a large plot of land that most likely took up a quarter of Woodbury, and one quarter would estimate to around five dozen football fields (that could have made the town a city). Since it taught elementary, middle and high school levels, it would reasonably be huge.

The Sheffield siblings back then went to another nearby school in Clemen, a smaller town between Woodbury and Los Angeles, but more nearer to the forest town. The tuitions were cheap compared to Woodbury, and the education was pretty good, which were the main reasons their parents had them go there.

The school itself was still there, but Woodbury School was much more convenient this time, thanks to their relatives.

Anyways, the hallways of the large building were easy to get used to once you explored them a couple of times, which was what Maxwell had done a few days ago, allowing him to get to his classroom without any problems.

Like the dozen new students that came, he introduced himself plainly (yet with a noticeable kick to it) in front of his new classmates, all of them obviously interested in what newcomers like him had to offer.

That did not seem to be the case for Maxwell when they had their lunch break in the canteen.

While sporty students played outside, and studious ones kept on reading their books or doing their homework early, hungry ones ate at tables inside the canteen or outside, where there are tables for those who want fresh air during brunch. Most of them were familiar with each other, and freshmen were fitting in nicely, but Maxwell...

He sat at a long table, also occupied with a few students who ate and talked with their friends, but no one who would show any interest in him, other than looks at his hair... which honestly was not as odd as some other interesting hairstyles and colors he has seen in the school.

Maxwell sighed and started digging into the lunch his sister made for him. Feels like a homely four-star chef made it as always.

He sighed inwardly. His brilliant plan of making friends was unsuccessful, not that he had a good one in the first place. It would have been easier if he had something in common to talk about with another student, or anything to do together, but he did not. Getting attention now would feel awkward.

Racking his brains for something to do now that he finished his lunch, he got one idea and took out his smartphone for one particular game.

Brave Frontier.

It was a surprisingly popular mobile game like most others that originated from Japan. He had discovered it when he searched through the app stores (with the help of a terrible commercial. What was with the art style?) and downloaded it on the recommendation of his friends, and had been using it as a fun way to pass the time.

Once he was done beating up a few Totem Units, he heard a chorus of cheers of students who were obviously friends who were reuniting happily after their summer break. Looking up, he saw them happily cheering their approval of a developing couple within their group.

Man, he wished for at least more drama than he had right now... Well, at least not too much than he hoped for.

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _The Sheffields' House_

"Maxie, Maxie!" his sister cheered for him as he faced Elle in a game of Mario Kart.

"H-Hey Isabelle, what about me?" Elle looked genuinely hurt.

"Um... Elly!"

That was Isabelle, who had short and curly hair reaching her neck, with a green ribbon tied to the right side of her hair. The color was just like the other Sheffields': brown tipped with red.

Her small white sundress was striped with red lines running down, fluttering around her as she watched the TV and hopped on the sofa with excitement.

It was nighttime, and Elle had wanted a rematch just like that in their living room. Maxwell wanted some fun anyway, so he prepared to make his hands work.

Mario was taking the lead (Maxwell), but his newest rival, Rosalina (Elle), was catching up.

"You aren't getting past me-!" Maxwell said, determined to keep his three-in-a-row win streak.

"M-Mushroom!"

"Gah! No way!"

Fanfares blared from the TV speakers.

"Sis..."

Elle simply smirked. "At least you have been getting better."

They started to tidy up, though Isabelle let out a huge yawn.

"Sleepy..." she muttered.

"Elle, just get her to bed. I can take care of all of this," Maxwell said.

She smiled. "Thank you Maxwell. Come on Isabelle, back to your room..." Elle carried the toddler up and went out of the room, going up the stairs near to the front door.

A moment later, after changing into his maroon pyjamas, he reclined on his chair back in his room.

He glanced at the sketchbook on his desk. It was full of sketches and colorful drawings by him and Elle, all of which were to help the older sister in her future position in the art and crafts club at school, as she wanted to be an artist/architect/manager.

He had no doubts in her possible high social standing in the school once she attends it. She was already popular back at their old school, and she had been the vice captain of a kendo club. Who knew she was that talented? Although, Elle taking up kendo most likely had something to do with the responsibility of protecting her two siblings.

Maxwell sighed. Can he be a whole lot bigger than being average?

He decided to turn in for the night, not realizing a notice that had popped up on his phone.

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _On a rooftop, shrouded in the night sky..._

...was a man in a black trench coat, with a matching fedora and mask to hide his face.

He was obviously not like any workaholic or mad scientist who stayed up all night. He had a much more important purpose, and that started with keeping watch over the park.

They were going to meet soon there.

 _Buzz, buzz~_ his cellphone went.

He took it out and flipped the screen open.

The cellphone itself looked like a deceptively older model that would be rare nowadays, but this one had been heavily modified to suit even more purposes.

He tapped on the larger-than-average keypad several times to send a message, then aimed the camera on the screen's back at the park.

They should be here now.

...And they did with a boom.

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _ **This is the prologue finished, and we shall see more action in the next chapter.**_

 _ **EDIT (17 September 2016): Changed the color of Isabelle's ribbon (brown to green), filled in the word 'hair' and provided single line space.**_


	3. It's An Encounter!

**_It has been quite some time since the last update, but I decided to upload this, even though I am supposed to be studying right now._**

 ** _This chapter will mark a significant turning point in this protagonist's life, as well as others'._**

* * *

 _Woodbury Middle School_

The school hallways were buzzing with talk about the popular students during the recess, be it good things or odd rumors and sightings. Otherwise, it was something typical happening in school during daytime.

Maxwell had been eating his own handmade sandwiches in the canteen when he saw three students out of the corner of his eye, sitting on another table. They were close enough for Maxwell to eavesdrop.

"So, who do you think will make it to the Top Ten in the Most Popular Poll?" a red-haired boy with glasses asked.

"Mmm, for starters... maybe Midnight, in tenth place," a girl with short and straight cut violet hair answered, looking rather confident with her statement.

"That cool Chinese girl from last year?" the girl with green hair and rectangular glasses asked. "The tall one in Class 2-4?"

In Woodbury School, it takes four years to complete each level. '2' means second-year, and the number after that represents one of the four classes the student is in, so Midnight was in her second year in middle school in the fourth class on the second floor. Those in different years stayed in separate floors, but anyone can visit any class.

"Yes, her. You know how no one was able to keep up a conversation for like, ten minutes or so? Guys and girls seem to find that pretty 'mysterious' and all. Top it with the black hair and ladylike air, you get one of those 'cool beauties' some people like."

Then the informative girl lowered her voice, saying, "But even though she has friends, it's rare for her to be seen with any of them. And any guy who tries to ask her out gets turned down before they could even confess!"

"It's pretty tough for those guys huh?" the boy mused.

"Yeah," the glasses girl agreed. "You don't think she's got weird hobbies...? She's quiet and all..."

Closing his plastic lunchbox with a quiet _snap_ , Maxwell left for the classroom.

He never knew about a poll in the first place. But moreover, it must be really hard to be popular with people talking behind your back.

Maxwell used to be well-known in his old school, but then again it had been a rather small school. Every student there was friendly with each other to a degree, but anyone was willing to help the other. Here on Woodbury Campus, some people would pull their own weight in a rather lone fashion. It kind of felt as if there was a hierarchy or something here.

In any case, Maxwell still has not found a friend. This Midnight girl could make for a really good one, but judging from what he heard, she might refuse.

The next lessons soon passed by like a blur for him, and he was just getting up from his seat when a student came up to him.

"Excuse me!" he squeaked. He might as well have been talking to his officer.

He was somewhat shorter than Maxwell by a few inches, having short cut black hair that covered his forehead. His grassy eyes studied the taller student from behind purple-rimmed glasses.

"Can I help you?" Maxwell asked.

"Ah, my name is Harvey, of Class 1-2, and head of the Newspaper Club. Obviously, we run the school newspaper. I was hoping to recruit new applicants from the new students this year."

"Really? It's not like I could be that good for your club."

He was only here for a few days after all.

Harvey seemed to brush it off. "I simply want to see any potential students, you included. If it's not any trouble, could you come to Room 3-6, in the Extra Activities Building? Just think of it as a trial run there after school."

Maxwell considered it. He knew an old friend who had joined a club at the old school. He was able to make friends with all of his club members, so Maxwell could do the same thing as he did.

Although, another friend of his had also joined a club, except she got very different results. Instead of making Japanese mochi, the club members dunked her head into French flatbread, like a form of asserting dominance on a new student. She obviously told the teachers and students on them, resulting in eight students landing in three-months detention and two expulsions. The poor girl took a while before she could place trust in any of her friends again.

It sure feels dangerous...

But hey, how were you supposed to know you like it if you never try it?

"Count me in," the taller student answered.

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _Extra Activities Building_

The E.A.B. was seven stories tall; the two top floors acting as halls for any large-scale event, and the rest of the floors each containing eight separate rooms for any club to settle in, forming a total of forty rooms in the building. Currently, over thirty clubs were formed, but more are on the way that there was talk of expanding the building.

Maxwell easily entered it, passing by several rooms buzzing with activity. It was clear that all of them were as large as the other, that all the clubs were hard at work on something.

After reaching the door to Room 3-6, he knocked on it politely. Seconds later, it opened, a girl being the one who greeted him.

She was shorter than Maxwell by a few centimetres, sporting mousey brown hair tucked under a grey and worn ascot cap. Like most students, she wore the girls' uniform.

Her blue eyes examined Maxwell briefly before saying, "Hey there!" She had something like a British accent. "D'you happen to be our 'trial guy?'"

"Uh, yeah I am. What's your name?"

"Dill," she replied simply. "Harvey's second-in-command, and top journalist too!"

Maxwell decided she was more energetic than him. "So can I come in now?"

"Oh yeah, sure," she said, moving aside to let him in.

The Newspaper Club Room seemed like that of an actual workplace. Club members wrote and typed down new stories, rushing here and there to get this printed for their next headline. Papers and folders were stacked on top of each other, but the mess did not seem too bothersome.

Harvey himself was busy analyzing a report of some kind before he spotted the two of them.

"Maxwell, I'm glad you could make it."

"Why wouldn't I?" The student gave slight smile of his own.

The club leader then turned to Dill and told her, "You can go back to your station now Dill. The monster cases aren't going to solve on their own."

Dill gave a mock salute before going elsewhere to her desk.

"Now then Maxwell," Harvey said, pressing his fingers together, "there's something I would like to show you, just beyond that curtain."

At the far end of the room, a black curtain hanging from metal rings looped around a metal bar extended from one wall to another.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Where we make our photos. Come now, I want to show you something intriguing."

The shorter student pushed a part of the curtain aside and went through, Maxwell following him the same way.

Inside, there were a few machines and cameras lined up on a shelf. A window allowed the afternoon light to shine through, but Harvey, somehow, was nowhere to be seen.

"Harvey, where's the thi-"

Not a second later, he felt something that stung on his neck.

Everything around him faded.

* * *

When Maxwell came to, he looked around wildly, and found himself bound to a chair in ropes. His hands were tied behind his back too, like handcuffs.

He could tell he was in a dark room, illuminated faintly by moonlight behind him. The only furniture in front of him were a sofa, a wooden table and some chairs. Other than those things, the wooden room was bare save for walls of logs around him.

He was unsure if this really was a kidnapping, but he did not really want to stay long to find out what his captors wanted from him.

He tried to move his hands, already feeling them a little loose. He put in more effort in breaking them apart. The ropes felt less constricting.

Just as he was about to break his hands free, the door at the far end of the room opened.

It was Harvey entering. He still wore the same uniform, but there was something... off about him.

"You're awake," he said, stating the obvious, as he closed the door behind him quietly.

"Uh, Harvey? Were you the one...?"

He was cut off by Harvey's 'Ha!'

"Of course idiot." The other student clearly wanted blood, more or less savoring every moment of this predicament. "Now... Who sent you?"

"What?"

"Who sent you?" he repeated.

"N-No one sent me! What are you yapping about anyway?"

"Tch. I meant your Guild! You Summoners must have heard about me, and they sent some... some _rookie_ to deal with me. Now answer the question!"

There was nothing polite about Harvey from when Maxwell first met him. Now, he was some deranged, paranoid psycho to him.

"Hey!" Maxwell protested. "I don't know what the heck you're talking about, or whatever this Guild is. I mean, I'm just an ordinary student!"

"Impossible. My radar managed to detect you, and a few others. All of you apparently are some squad like the others back then, except you all just happened to arrive. Unless..."

Harvey paced around his room before a creepy smile crept up his face.

"Meh, more free EXP," he said, like it was finality.

He then dug around his left pocket for a moment before taking out a smartphone, except it was a different brand from Maxwell's. He tapped a few things, probably a message to his followers to dispose of Maxwell.

Maxwell was partially right in a sense. Harvey swiped his thumb up, and a bright light filled the room.

A white circle filled with elaborate lines and runes appeared on the floor, shining as it slowly went up, leaving behind the lower body of a suit of dark armor.

The white circle eventually seemed thin out once it finished moving, taking light with it and leaving behind a man in black armor, a large side-shield attached to the right of it, and holding a particularly advanced-looking sniper rifle.

The sniper's right eye glowed purple as it scanned Maxwell briefly before turning to Harvey.

"Another one?" he said, voice slightly muffled by the helmet.

Harvey nodded. "You know what to do."

The sniper, while very interesting and very familiar, was obviously going to take him outside for 'clean-up'.

As soon as the man got close enough to reach out for Maxwell, the hostage got out of his bindings easily enough and socked the man in his left eye, following up with grab of the rifle and smashing it down on his head.

Not forgetting about Harvey, Maxwell swung the heavy rifle down on the other student's temple, sending him to the ground like he did with the other.

Dropping the rifle, Maxwell did not waste time knowing where to go.

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _Woodbury Shopping District_

Maxwell somehow dodged another bullet there, literally.

The strange sniper was obviously not from this world, if the white circle from earlier did not indicate that fact. His shots were very accurate, and it was only physical cover, instincts and sheer luck keeping him alive at this point.

Another lightning-bolt-like shot raced through the air. Maxwell ran again, leaving a lamppost to fall over from the force of the shot. Glass shattered as the lamp crashed.

It had only been a few minutes ever since the shooting began, that Maxwell wondered how the entire shopping district did not hear the environmental damage and the shots. How was the entire town essentially _still asleep?_

Soon, there were no more shots as Maxwell ran through an alleyway, going through a glass door that led into a building. He briefly glanced the green directory sign next to it inside:

 **Rifferton Pine Mall**

 **5F - FOOD COURT, CINEMA**

 **4F - SPAS, HAIR SALONS, TOY STORES**

 **3F - ELECTRONICS, CLOTHING**

 **2F - RESTAURANTS, PARKING LOT**

 **1F - FURNITURE, HOME APPLIANCES**

 **GF - LOBBY, Cafés,**

 **1B - ASSORTED GOODS, SUPERMARKET, PARKING LOT**

 **2B - PARKING LOT**

 **Enjoy your visit!**

Although there were many kinds of shops that provided several goods and services outside in the shopping district, the most popular amenities and facilities can be found here. It was said that some shopkeepers were planning on moving in here.

Still, Maxwell silently hoped he was not going to get fined for leading a sniper capable of destroying a tank into the mall. It looked really nice, with its dark and calm beige colors, wide-open spaces and not-so loud atmosphere. It would be a shame if something came along and wrecked the place.

Luckily, the mall was still open, so shoppers and store managers interacted with each other in their respective stores. Wait, lucky?

 _With all these people here, who's gonna be that guy's target!?_ Maxwell thought quickly.

As if on cue, shots rang out throughout the mall. The loud _cracks_ of thunder quickly got everyone's attention, and they instinctively ran for the nearest exit.

While Maxwell was somewhat distracted by the screams and chaos happening, he saw light dim around him. He turned to look back.

And when he did, he barely threw himself out of the way of a huge chunk of rock. It went _whoosh_ ing past him and smashed into marble.

He picked himself up, only to be held up at the collar of his shirt. The boy got a good look at his captor though.

And it was someone he recognized very well.

"Target secure. Area cleared of unnecessary lifeforms. Awaiting orders," the hulking android rumbled.

"Good work Gildorf. Rowgen, continue scouting. Make sure no one interferes."

The kid-who-was-not-what-he-looked-like came from behind Maxwell, looking rather content and-to be plain-villainous.

"Well, it's a shame you can't give me a level-up, considering you are a newbie after all, but threats like your heroic sort must be eliminated for my future," the Newspaper Club Captain spat, looking at his phone momentarily before shooting Maxwell a piercing look.

"The game's laws dictate I must leave no traces as much as possible..." He said, trailing off...

And then he grinned. "But where's the fun in that? I can pay the fine. Gildorf! Charbroil."

"Commencing neutralization," Gildorf replied, arms and legs clanking.

Gildorf and Rowgen. Two well-known characters from Brave Frontier, the game Maxwell had been playing. They are new and old respectively, but nevertheless powerful in their own right, even as 'Five-Star Units'.

Although, this supposed Gildorf was going to kill him.

"I definitely don't plan on being anyone's backyard dinner yet!" Maxwell declared.

The boy backpedalled and ran into a hallway lined with shops on either side.

Shots like the ones from earlier came by him as yellow streaks, some grazing him but leaving him mostly alive.

As smoke curled off his blazer, Gildorf slammed its tonfas into the ground. Cracks started to appear around the ceiling, walls and floor of the hallway Maxwell ran through, and they all glowed orange-hot.

They exploded, quickly caving in his escape route.

"Nice try," Harvey said, "but you aren't getting away this time!"

Gildorf gave a low mechanical rumble and approached Maxwell, its red eyes glowing with something like malice? Maxwell had to admit: dolls, even robots like him, were scarier than silent snipers that can kill from afar... sort of, like a cousin said. It was hard to see what emotions they had, if the smiles were genuine happiness or hidden cruelty.

 _Oh man...! Bye Kit, bye old man Jay... bye Jem, bye Simmy... bye Elle... and Isabelle... and everyone else..._

And he would never meet this Midnight girl. For some reason, characters with unique personalities are some of the best friends you could ever make, but just about anyone really could be a good one if you just get to know them.

Too bad Harvey made it clear that would never happen.

 _Kashiing!_

...Well, that was the best sound effect he could describe just a second ago.

But Maxwell looked up to see the android stop moving. Its eyes blinked in confusion before it suddenly split cleanly in half at the waist.

Both halves fell to the ground, Gildorf still rumbling, "ERROR. ERROR. Heavy damage taken... This unit is deemed unsuitable for combat-"

Then its eyes dimmed, indicating it was switched off. It shone with white light for a moment before disappearing in brief flash.

"What in the-guh-!?"

Harvey was probably going to curse in shock when he was interrupted by something shiny and coated red sprouting out of his chest.

It sank back inside, leaving Harvey to fall over and create a red puddle that spread under him.

Behind him was a teenage-looking girl dressed in an ashen grey dress shirt with red stripes running diagonally from the upper left of her chest to the bottom right. Her trousers were similarly grey with a red faded symbol of a feather on her left kneecap. She wore black sneakers to suggest she was a runner.

But she was clearly dressed for war. She wore a dull russet strap-on chestplate with steel armor covering both arms except the shoulders. Her segmented thigh armor was a plain brown but with red stripes running down on the middle of both sides. Her brown greaves were dull-looking too, but they looked just as sturdy as the rest of the armor. An elegant silver helmet with a visor covered most of her face, although her chin was exposed.

In her right hand was a double-edged broadsword inlaid with red and outlined with gold, while her left hand held a vicious serrated longsword. The diamond-shaped red blade was inlaid with something like rusty iron. Both sported a sooty black glyph at the base of the blades.

Overall, she looked like a hero from the shadows... or maybe an actual knight.

The girl was sort of familiar, even as she flicked blood off her longsword. She sheathed her swords into scabbards on her back, looking at Maxwell for a moment. Finally, she walked off, just like that, out of the corridor.

Then the environment around Maxwell suddenly flashed turquoise for a moment.

"Huh...?" Maxwell ran out of the corridor, snapped out of his trance.

The entire mall had started to flash turquoise again, then crimson, then silver, like there were flashes of every color he could see.

More flashes of different colors came, seemingly fitting the environment: orange from the mall's lights, dark blue from the night sky seen from the skylight, pink from a accessory store for girls-so many colors flashing until they all stopped suddenly.

"What the heck..." Maxwell was incredibly confused, but for everything he could see so far, he could say this.

It was something he'll have to sleep and think on.

The shoppers though...

One was talking with her friend excitedly about a bargain sale nearby. An otaku was buying figurines of the latest anime. There were not as many shoppers during nighttime as during daytime, but the mood here was calm and pleasant, unlike what happened just a minute ago.

Harvey, Gildorf and the rubble were gone.

...

 _Okayyy... Something weird is going on. Even that sounded obvious enough._

All the people here have lost memories of what happened. And whatever happened here reset back to its previous state.

It was definitely a messy world mechanic out of a comic, a movie, a story, a game... And all of it had something to do with Brave Frontier.

Although, he had another thing to worry about. What time was it?

"Right. Sis is gonna be worried."

Deal with an angry Elle first. THEN he can deal with the more pressing matters.

Silently, Maxwell left for home.

* * *

"So the kid survived?"

"He did."

"That girl... She ain't some psycho or something right?"

"Why do you ask Observer? Surely you have seen some... more horrifying sights?"

"I see a lot of messed up stuff time-to-time, but that girl's dangerous. Ya think she'll be a hell of a soldier against the gods?"

"Oh she will. Months of experience, hardship and love turned her."

"Heh. Our gods are gonna act soon alright."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Okay, I just finished my exams and now updating. Finally!**_

 _ **I hope to use a few 'game mechanics' from a certain game and a few fanfictions here on this site. I will mention them later in the next few chapters, seeing as I do not want to take credit for saying the 'mechanics' you will be seeing later is my idea alone. I had inspirations.**_

 _ **Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review to see if this needs improvement, and perhaps a favorite and a follow?**_

 ** _EDIT (12 October 2016): Changed having to spend three years in each level at Woodbury Private School to_** ** _four years instead. Then a few corrections..._**


	4. It's Never A Dull Moment

_Woodbury Middle School_

Harvey was not here that morning.

Maxwell checked Class 1-2 during break time. He asked someone if he was around, but he said,

 _"Who's Harvey? The guy from that book with the light bulb on it? Man, it was really popular last month-"_

And other classmates said something along those lines. Like his existence was completely wiped away.

Yeah... Maxwell is in a plot now.

Regardless, after a night's worth of getting scolded by Elle, and a thorough examination of the Brave Frontier app, he felt a little more prepared now.

Apparently, the Brave Frontier game was still there, but there is also a button found on the main menu, which read 'Summoner's App'. The app game itself was more of a pretext for any person to secretly access the app.

"Mr. Sheffield," his teacher was saying, having pulled him aside some time before he went home.

The teacher looked to be in her twenties, having black hair tied in a ponytail with a brown band. She wore a lavender shawl over her grey blouse, and a lavender shin-length skirt. She was like a sharp teacher who looks out for everyone, but would not forgive any rule breaking whatsoever.

"Yes Miss Riswell?" Maxwell replied.

"You still need to complete that homework by tomorrow. I expect my students to do their schoolwork smoothly."

Maxwell wanted to groan. How was it fair that no one else knew about the little destruction at the mall?

"I'll get it done," he reassured her.

"You better."

Day two, and he was already being watched out for.

* * *

Maxwell took care to walk on the pavement as he walked through the town park, avoiding kids throwing Frisbees and elders taking afternoon walks.

Around this time, Maxwell would have hung out with a friend if he could, but he still had not found a single one. But he had other pressing matters to deal with.

Like his starter Unit for this... game he was pushed into.

He had received a Summon Ticket for a Divine Summon, but there were instructions in the mail saying that this must be done in a secluded area, as the process would be 'very bright'. As always, the Summons are random except for some special cases. Apparently, the element of the Unit you receive can depend on the area you are in, like getting Water Units by Summoning near a lake.

He glanced at his phone. It showed a big list of the game rules:

 **Any violation (other than Rules Three, Four etc.) will result in an instant death.**

 **1\. (UPDATE AS OF 3 JULY 2016) There are two sides, that one a new Summoner must choose during the 1st of November: Gauntlets (Lucius, the God of the Gate) and Glaives (Bergus, a minor god and leader of the rebels). Those who will not pick a side in time, purposely or not, however...**

 **2\. The game allows any Summoner to make his or her own choices, like killing people in Reality Battles, except their own Glaives/Gauntlets, Guild Members or Friends, if they are registered to be on your side. Other than that, it is a dog-eat-dog world in a sense. That is, as long as the rules are not violated.**

 **3\. Summoners are to complete a mission within an allotted period of time. Failure to do so will force you into an Active State for the next 24 hours, with a bounty on your head. After completing it, you have a day before the next mission arrives. Optional missions are given as well to complete in your own time.**

 **4\. Observers are not to be attacked or harmed, lest you receive punishment from the game's rules or the Observers themselves, depending on how powerful they are. However, the game rules do not protect them if a mission involves them (killing, kidnapping, protecting etc.), or if the Observers themselves permit it.**

 **5\. Your phone is your lifeline. While the durability is roughly three times better, it can still be destroyed with enough force (like a laser). This can be replaced with another Summoner's Phone, but otherwise, the owner of the destroyed phone will lose the use of Summon powers. Other benefits such as magic MAY be retained however.**

 **6\. Any innocent bystanders must not know about the game. Violation of this rule is imposed on the responsible Summoner(s) through heavy fines of zel, karma, or whatever objects of value, in proportion to the amount of damage caused.**

 **7\. If there should be a special breach of Rule Six (such as a Reality Battle while a person wanders into the battle zone), with the favor and testimony of an Observer(s), the bystanders are sworn to secrecy and are allowed to even become involved in the game. Bystanders, however, share the same penalties with Summoners when dying and reviving, and so may become Summoners. They are also obliged to follow the same rules. Memory wipes were found to be difficult to maintain, thus leading to the creation of this rule.**

 **And yes, reviving people within a short period of time after their death is easier.**

 **8\. Summoners have an Active and Inactive Status. The former allows use of the Tracking program, Summoning, Fusion and Evolution of Units, summoning objects from the mass inventory inside the phone, even magic, at a large cost of being tracked by other Summoners. The latter status prevents use of the mentioned functions, but allows Summoners to remain undetected by Active Summoners, and a lower rate of monster encounters.**

 **9\. (UPDATE AS OF 20 MAY 2016) Active Summoners hunting for any other Summoners are allowed to ONLY ATTACK other Active Summoners within the constraints of Rule 2, and if Rule 4 allows it, the Observers as well. Ambushes are permitted as well, if Dream Fields are not used.**

 _Rule ten... and more..._

Just reading all these rules could make a person's head hurt, but Maxwell had a rough idea of the system now.

Another funny thing was that there WERE cases where new Summoners may not realize they were picked for the game. The creators took mercy on them and allowed oblivious Summoners to live normally for a week, starting from 3 July 2016. Even new Summoners can take advantage of that peace and start building up strength without the fear of attacks.

Maxwell ended up not getting any of the one-week grace period, and luckily received a mission that had the time limit of ten days; he had less than one now:

 ** _Kill 20 slime monsters. Locations marked on your Spirit Map._**

Maxwell was also told to find some weapons. What would make for a good one?

He remembers how Elle used to be captain of the kendo club back in Clemen. She sometimes taught Maxwell cool moves, including complicated movements, stances and all that, but it was worth being able to swing a bokken properly. Elle is a fan of swords after all.

And then there were all those comics, cartoons and anime with the swords. Star Wars even had their own set of combat stances!

Right, he was going to get a weapon alright.

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _Park Mittle's Lake, four in the afternoon..._

After quickly finishing his homework at his house, he snuck out with a bokken in a duffel bag and a new outfit for this to-be-rough excursion. He brought some medical supplies, snacks, drinks, even a bedroll, should things get out of hand, like spending the night on a tree, surrounded by killer mochis...

He wore a brown windbreaker with crimson red shoulders that matched his hair colors, a black T-shirt underneath and baggy forest green trousers with the number '9' in a faded brown color on his left shin. Grey and green sneakers helped if he needed to be stealthy. Slung over his left shoulder is a forest camouflage duffel bag containing his supplies.

Strapped to the back of his hips was his sheathed, thin, katana-type hardwood bokken, handle poking to the right of his hips, attached to a belt designed to hold the green leather sheath. The sumi kiri gata - the crossguard equivalent of katanas as Maxwell searched online - was colored red. It was almost as tall as him if he compared his height to its length.

Maxwell looked at his phone, now in Active Status, checking the Spirit Map. There is a pool of energy, marked as a portal from... somewhere to this spot by the lake. Apparently creatures, items, magic, even old places can spill into this spot, and they are not limited to Grand Gaia.

It was surprising how there were no people around at this hour. Maxwell could imagine taking photographs with his sisters when the weekend comes. Maybe the game's managers created illusions like construction signs to keep every curious human out.

The twelve-year-old placed a hand on his bokken's handle, ready to pull it out. Who knows what monsters would appear? So far the mission only said to kill slimes. Maybe it was just slimes in the area.

He shook his head of fear and focused on his phone. He swiped his finger to the Summon screen.

Currently, there are eight Divine Summons to choose from: six represented the six elements of Brave Frontier, while the other two are Divine Summon and Honor Summon respectively. This is meant for new Summoners and lasted for a month.

He did not hesitate to press on 'Fire Summon'.

A white, bright circle like Harvey had made materialized in front of Maxwell, on the ground, glowing with an unfathomable energy. He had wondered what magic circles would be like; now he got one in front of him.

"Please be a cool guy, please be a cool guy...!" Maxwell muttered excitedly, all attention on the circle now.

An ornamental rainbow gate came out of the circle.

 _A Five-Star Unit!_

Maxwell stared at it for a moment before remembering to touch it.

 _First Unit... here I go!_

A tentative brush was given. After that was a blast of light.

It opened...

And out stepped a rather imposing figure.

"Hmm...? Who are you, boy?" a gruff voice says.

The redheaded man stepping out of the gate wore no shirt, revealing his buff chest. Other than that, he wore armor covering his shoulders and lower body. A ragged cape fluttered behind him. Resting on his left shoulder was a burning greatsword, and his strong-looking arms suggested he can wield it with just one hand. As if that wasn't anymore intimidating than his wizened glare.

Everything about him screamed...

"Cool..." Maxwell muttered under his breath as the Gate disappeared. The area around them went back into a sunny afternoon.

"Hmm?" the man grunted in question.

"You're Avant right!?"

"I am. I presume you're my Summoner?"

Maxwell nodded. "Well it's my first time summoning a Unit. It's been rough for me and all, but... I hope we get to work together."

The rookie stretched out a hand to shake, grinning. Avant glanced at the hand for a while, eyebrows raised slightly as if he recognized something.

He shook it, nodding.

Here was a buff man capable of leveling buildings if he were at his full power, now commanded by Maxwell. That was quite the responsibility a child has to bear from that moment on, but he can do it.

"It'll be a pleasure to work for you kid."

That sounds strange coming from a man clearly much more older than Maxwell, but it did not matter. He had one of the most popular Units, just like in the game!

"Okay, let's get started," Maxwell said with a grin, feeling more confident that he can tackle the mission.

"You have a mission already?" Avant asked.

Maxwell nodded, checking his phone. There was a notification sending him to the squad management screen.

He moved to Avant's status screen, noting that if this were a more simpler game the rookie was in, this man would have been classified as an obvious strength-type Unit.

 _Well the best defense is offense, just as the best offense is defense._

"Okay... uh Sir...?" Maxwell didn't know what to call him. It felt awkward to call him by-

"Avant is fine." He gets down to business a lot.

"Okay Avant, today we're hunting down twenty slimes!"

"I guess that's fitting for a rookie," Avant said to himself. "Where do we find them?"

Maxwell pointed to the small forest behind him, creeping near the edge of the lake. It was a lighter part of the Woodbury Pinewood, the one where the trees were not so thick to be lost in, so you could find a few clearings.

"I think they're all over there. The map said it was an Amateur-ranked area."

There are 101 ranks in total, all derived from the Arena Rank system; the first one is Rookie, which Maxwell currently was. It is easier to refer to his Rank as Level 0.

"Hmm..." Avant scrutinized his Summoner's equipment. "I see you have come prepared."

"I am. My sister taught me kendo, so I know how to use a sword, or well katanas at least. I'm a little rusty though, but maybe it'll all come back to me. And this bag here has all my supplies if I gotta camp out."

Avant gave an approving nod. "It is good to see there are still rookies that prepare, and people who fight."

The two walk into the forest, chatting less and less, feeling the air become more intense. This was not a safe area to be in.

* * *

A bounce put them on alert in their first encounter with a monster.

"Uh, it's... a slime. I think... it's a Sparky." Maxwell did not really expect much other than cuteness, and he was right.

"I'll take care of it," Avant gruffly said, letting the Sparky yell a tiny battlecry and jump at him.

He slapped it to the ground and promptly squashed it under his heel.

"That's... brutal," Maxwell commented.

"It is," Avant agreed. "I almost feel sorry for these little ones."

"Who are you calling little!?"

"Yeah! We'll show you!"

Three more slimes appeared: two Mossies and a Glowy.

"I can take the Burnies, but I think you should take the Glowy as practice. Can you really kill it?" Avant got his sword ready.

"I can," Maxwell confirmed, although more as reassurance for himself. Dropping his duffel bag to the base of a tree, he drew his bokken.

"Wood... You're lucky these aren't all Fire-types," Avant noted.

"I know Avant but I got this."

While Avant moved to stomp the Burnies into oblivion, Maxwell dashed forward and immediately stabbed at the pouncing Glowy.

The end was buried inside of it, catching it, so Maxwell rammed it into a tree.

It shuddered before turning into harmless white slime, dripping from the bokken's edge.

"Hey Avant, I killed it!" Maxwell called to his partner. It sounded lame, but it was quite the first time.

"I did too. Now we should go in further if we want to find more to hunt."

They trekked once Maxwell retrieved his bag, this time strapping it on from left shoulder to right hip to make it less of an inconvenience to drop it every time before a fight. His bokken was out now, blade ready to stun and smash.

There were monsters other than slimes though. There was a Dryad, which Avant cleaved into two, a few loud Mandragoras Maxwell smashed, even a human archer he recognized as Lario.

Avant quickly blocked the first few shots, letting Maxwell rush in for a stab to the neck. Lario barely avoided it and was about to turn Maxwell into a pincushion when Avant stabbed him in the chest.

When Lario flashed white and disappeared, he asked, "Are Units really dead like that?"

"What do you mean kid?" Avant asked.

"I mean, they're alive and all, and I'm pretty sure they have hearts. Did they feel sad and hurt when they die?"

Avant's lips twisted into a grimace. "They feel pain, but once they die, they should fade back into the Gate. As for feelings... I think they'll know they can be sent back into the world to explore once again, or wander in wherever they are for all eternity."

"Avant, is it bad to kill them?"

The War Fire eyed the boy. He sure was a thinking type.

"I think we all do things for survival kid, and killing is one of them. These Units and monsters probably understood that the moment they stepped into these hunting grounds."

Maxwell looked at a unicorn that peacefully grazed on grass in the distance. The whole scenery before him was out of a fantasy novel, but he needed to train.

He nodded with determination. He cannot afford to be left behind by any powerful Summoners.

"Let's get going Avant! The clock's still ticking!"

They fought with greater vigor, Maxwell starting to remember his rookie kendo training. His attacks started becoming more powerful, more fluid, enough to create a nice cave-in if he accurately targeted a vital part.

Maxwell slashed aside a slime, then brought his bokken down on a toppled unicorn. Avant was hacking away at Weiss, who nimbly dodged a fatal strike.

He eventually went down after a wooden stab to the neck.

Once their scuffle was over, bodies and burns spotting the forest, Maxwell took out his phone that had rung quietly in his pocket.

He received a notice that the mission was over, rewarding him with some zel, karma and a few items, including a Sphere. He even leveled up to Amateur rank (or Level One), showing his progress.

He could try a few daily quests if he needed more rewards, but Maxwell felt beat. All that matters is going home for the time being.

"Avant, looks like we're done here. Great job!" Maxwell told Avant.

"Hmph. I prefer a bigger challenge next time."

It was still scary just going in for the kill, especially with a sword not meant to hurt anyone, but Maxwell felt like he could get used to it. It was not too different- scratch that, it may be very different to kill, but he remembered facing kendo trainees his age.

"But this should be good training for you. I also managed to gather some zel and Units to fuse you with!"

"And I can see you are already improving. Your sister must have trained you well."

Maxwell smiled at that. "She wanted to teach me for my safety, and I'm glad she did, even when it gets exhausting sometimes."

Avant raised an eyebrow at that. "And... your parents? What did they say about this?"

Maxwell hoped he did not sound upset. "I had their approval. They knew I liked to go to all sorts of places without anyone to look out for me."

Avant detected the sadness in his Summoner's voice, but decided to question it later. They were still inside monster territory after all. "Let's go back for—"

The sound of wood splintering came loudly from behind Maxwell.

"Whoa, what was that?" the boy asked aloud.

"Probably a powerful monster knocking a tree down. We should leave."

Avant was about to head back the way they came when he saw Maxwell running towards the sound.

"That kid...!" His Summoner was curious and reckless too, if not stupid.

As if no one has said this before, it was going to be a while before they get back home.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note: Some inspirations came from a few other BF fanfictions on this website, like The Adventure of Brave Frontiers by The Last Rebellion (the Spirit Map application came from the story's idea of a tracking system, including the active and inactive status). A few other stories (but not all, although I remember seeing one using SomeWanderingAnon's OC)_** _ **about Units coming into our world inspired me to do this story, so dear readers, search for those stories and give them your thanks, because they are what led to the creation of this fanfiction. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor also helped me to think up of an idea for the Summoner's App system. I give credit to that game as well**_ ** _._**

 _ **Now, I received a total of eight Summoner OCs. I honestly expected a non-Summoner, but fine. Here are the titles that I decided to give them that I feel would hint at their characters:**_

 _'Surfer Bum, Glum Forester, Hothead Freerunner, Antisocial Senior, Default Smile, Sweet Puppeteer, Hostage and Psycho, Miss Poor Communication Skills.'_

 ** _...I do wonder if I insulted someone. Heck, most are sixteen-year-olds!_**

 ** _At any rate, not all OCs are to show in the early chapters, and not all of them may be what you expected. PM me if there is a problem. However, their roles may not be what you imagined (well, perhaps not evil)._**

 ** _Please leave a review, favorite and a follow!_**

 ** _EDIT (29 September 2016): Changed the Arena rank/level explanation. 100 levels seemed like a good divide between powerful and growing Summoners._**

 ** _EDIT (2 October 2016): Changed Rules One and Two. Massive correction. Other than that, minor editing._**


	5. It's Another Like Me

Chen Yue Xing—Midnight—is a Chinese girl, fourteen years old.

Shoulder-length, sleek, black hair, exotic sharp looks and black eyes, a serene, bored expression, a lonely personality - she ended up being popular at school. Her tall height of 5'5" yet slender figure made her look mature than she really looked. Her grades weren't bad either, having attended Woodbury Elementary before going to Middle School.

If there was one thing she wanted to fix though, it was her boredom.

She had average but sufficient grades, so getting into high school and maybe college, even a university, aren't seemingly hard tasks. That was one worry down. Her friends—sort of—do not make much effort to talk to her. She could not fault them for being busy in Thailand.

Students at Woodbury did not really want to make friends with her though. Most girls wanted popularity through her, and she had to turn down many boys who were in it for her looks. The more 'noble' students were either intimidated by her expression or decided a weirdo was not worth their time. Even the more honest, genuine, goodwilled students were a rarity, or they were simply occupied by other people and activities.

She did not really do much in the classroom other than cleaning and staying clear of any, if not most, activities.

That left only two ways she knew best to alleviate such boredom: the thrill of running through the forests around Woodbury while her parents do not realize this, and staying in her room, being a shut-in.

So becoming a Summoner was just about the next best thing for her, dangerous as it seemed.

No, dangerous as it is.

She had worn her daily forester outfit when she prepared for the trip: a black jacket, white T-shirt underneath, black shorts and grey knee-length stringed boots. Her black fingerless gloves felt wrinkled from the many times she climbed trees.

Her choice of weapons were four blades: two pocketknives hidden in her jacket's sleeves, tied to her wrists, ready to be deployed in two flicks. Another is an 11-inch (6.3 inches for the blade) Fallkniven A1 Survival Knife; a personal favorite. Not only is it black, but it is also made of a tough alloy; an expensive knife safely sheathed behind her shorts, obscured by her jacket. The last one is a small Swiss Army knife, or a multitool, ready to be sneaked out from the sole of her right boot.

Grandfather had secretly bought them for her on her birthday, when she asked him about these dangerous tools in a survival documentary. Midnight would always thank him for that.

Other than that, she brought the basic supplies: a medical kit, an extra change of clothes, bedroll, matchbox, maps of the area, a portable solar charger and hand charger for her smartphone, a flashlight with extra batteries, a honing rod for her knives, even an alchemy kit, all inside a grey and black satchel strapped tightly to her back.

Despite the equipment, she needed help. And what better help could she get from in an instant other than the Summoner's App?

So then came Battle Girl Ophelia; her first Unit she Summoned near the forest. It was quite a wonder to behold, having a character from a game be _brought to life._

She seemed to be the kind of person who was all work, no play and no freedom. Very stiff, very 'knightly', very charismatic, yet perhaps seemingly—rude it may be—overbearing to most people?

If she heard that, she may take offense to that.

Overall, Ophelia seemed to be a little similar to Midnight in terms of attitude, which would be to take things at a careful, methodical pace. Justice is an entirely different subject, but talking to people without unnerving them may be one they could discuss, if they get the time.

Their prowess in battle was a little different though.

Midnight was confident in her combat skills, to dance around, slitting the necks, hamstrings, veins, any vital points of any enemy. But that had been on imaginary enemies, and not even test dummies! Normal people do not order equipment to train in the art of murder, so she left it at that and improvised with cartoons, video games, imagination, combat related internet blogs and advice from other people.

But the Guardian was already as capable as what her game version made her out to be: a dashing knight who cuts down her enemies with ease. Although she was a Four-Star Unit, she had no problem avoiding a single attack and countering, or barreling through hordes of monsters, or fodder rather. Not a single enemy seemed to get past her guard.

"Please, I fought these monsters too many times before!" she confidently stated.

Midnight thought it was unfair that there were no weapons issued for beginners. She seriously wanted to use katanas and handguns ever since she saw a few animes. She wanted to prove how efficient it is to replicate those moves and apply them right here in the forest.

She had to stick to her hunting knife though, not that she was complaining. It was already quick and effective against many of the monsters here, that even Ophelia was impressed, although she had objected to it.

"Milady, you'll put yourself in danger doing this," she said. "What if you were to be slain, and I fail in my duty?"

Midnight replied, "I am not some princess to be protected, I can fight too. So start trusting me at least. We're going to be partners for the future, aren't we?"

Having gained at least some form of respect, both of them cut down their living targets. Midnight definitely got a thrill from fighting, and saw herself improving by a few levels. If they got through this, Midnight could ask the knight for some training after school.

Their objective was to hunt down six Unicorns, eight Trents and gather eight Green Herbs. So far, they only needed two more Herbs before the sun went down, roughly an hour from now. It was convenient how it can store materials and objects alien to Earth, yet unfortunate that it does not store some man-made objects, such as the satchel and her knives.

She had spotted them by the base of a tree when a particularly large monster charged at her.

It was not the first time she received an injury. She had fallen from trees and rarely got a twisted ankle most of the time, until she got to a point where she never did make such mistakes. It did not change how getting shoved aside hurts though.

With a loud grunt, Midnight was slammed to the side of a tree, stunned.

"Summoner!" Ophelia shouted. The knight quickly turned to face the beast.

It was a large dog-like beast, taller than most cars but less broad, standing on all clawed fours, yellow skin and muscle. Its yellow horns and purple mane crackled with electricity as it roared.

 _"A King Behemoth,"_ was what Midnight heard from Ophelia, inaudibly however. It seems the mental link between Summoners and Units on the field works. _"_ _It's_ _a Thunder-type, and roughly the same level as me. I can do this. Just rest for now."_

Ophelia sidestepped a swipe from the monster, parried a left slash and immediately lopped off its right paw. The King Behemoth roared in pain and anger, but still stood defiantly.

It's mane started crackling with electricity. Midnight quickly saw what was coming.

"Ophelia take cover behind a tree!" Midnight shouted, despite the mental link.

She quickly did as she was told. The monster then let loose it's Brave Burst on where the knight stood at first, probably discharging enough energy to energize a power plant for a few seconds or so before dimming.

Ophelia proceeded to deliver a slash to the neck.

Once that was done, as the knight flicked blood off her sword, she suddenly cocked her head to the right.

She darted towards Midnight, who had almost recovered from the hit. The knight lifted her easily as she would lift her sword (which was stored somewhere after a torrent of wind) carried her over her shoulder and sprinted past the trees.

From behind them, thunder smashed through wood and plants alike, charring a small chunk of the Pinewood.

There turned out to be another pack of King Behemoths that recently arrived. Despite being territorial, and unwilling to share with any monsters, they seemed to agree that the Rookie and her knight were larger threats.

 _Three of them..._ These were not good odds. Midnight was not ready to take on such monsters, and Ophelia was still too low-leveled to deal with more than one. Sure Units can level like they would in a game, like battling and all, but the Guardian had not become strong yet.

What's more, these beasts are clear on chasing their newest prey.

"Ophelia, I can run now! Put me down," she said to her carrier.

The knight smoothly set her down on the ground, letting both of them run freely, although Ophelia had armor weighing her down.

Those beasts were still on their trail. They would not be able to search for the herbs without risk, so...

"We must fight them here Ophelia," she said grimly.

Ophelia seemed to understand. "We still need the herbs after all... What do we do?"

"The trees! I will climb one to ride one and attack from there. You need to distract them."

The knight nodded rather than question her orders. She moved right suddenly, slashing a tree down and kicking the falling trunk towards a King Behemoth.

The beast at the front was slowed down, interrupting the others from moving forward for a few seconds. Midnight got to an oak tree and start climbing.

As soon as the first King sprung off the fallen trunk, directly at the knight, Ophelia narrowly leaned back letting the beast fly over her and ram headfirst into a tree.

The second one roared and bounded, claws outstretched. The Earth Unit saw this and blocked, letting electricity run all over her, but staying unaffected. Her Earth element helped greatly against these Thunder monsters.

Midnight took out her pocketknife, holding it between her left index finger and thumb, while her black knife was gripped in reverse in her right. She mentally told Ophelia to lure them near her.

As the Guardian punched a monster away and backstepped, luring the pack to be just under the tree, Midnight flung her pocketknife with a practiced throw, then pounced on the one to Ophelia's right.

The knife had sunk into the forehead of a King Behemoth's head, causing it to flail its head around wildly, trying to knock the knife out of its skull.

Meanwhile, the Summoner dug her knife into the upper neck of her target, sliding down with the help of the fall, ripping a large tear down to the lower part. The monster roared and managed to shake her off, but the damage was already done.

The monster stumbled around, now that it had immense bleeding on the side of its neck. Its flesh was tough, but it still bled anyway and fell over, totally weakened by several litres of spilt blood.

Unfortunately, several tons of muscle fell right over Midnight and pinned her lower half to the ground, who had been slow to react. She was winded, but somehow did not break anything. It was a miracle that she even killed the beast in one try. Was this karma?

She did not know how Ophelia was doing though, but it sounded to be going fifty-fifty. The Summoner heard wood splintering, more roars and Ophelia's sword cutting flesh.

Midnight tried to drag herself out, pulling at a tree root, silently thankful that the corpse was not too heavy. The flesh felt warm, and so did the blood that dampened Midnight's knee.

A loud growl prompted Midnight to look over the body. It was the same beast she flung her knife before. The pocketknife was slightly loose now, but still remained in the King Behemoth's head. Its victim was not happy.

The Summoner tried to push the body off faster, except she did not possess _that_ much strength, despite her time in the forests.

She grasped the roots behind her for something rougher to hold onto, found one and pulled harder. She saw Ophelia fighting in the corner of her left eye, running her sword through the gut of her opponent. By the time she finished, the last enemy would be upon her Summoner.

Midnight just managed to haul herself out, back against the tree, just in time to see the last monster leap at her, shiny, electric claws outstretched.

 _I was killed by bling. Joy,_ was what she decided silently in a millisecond, and honestly, sounded completely unrelated. She could not help but remember the bracelets one of her friends had gifted to her, now sitting in a shoebox full of prized trinkets.

"Avant!"

Then there was a completely unfamiliar voice, shouting what was unmistakably a split-second command.

The monster that had been in front of her was shoved aside by something large, metallic and red.

 _Thud! Thump!_

Midnight's eyes followed the blur to the ground left of her. The King Behemoth was whimpering silently, dying as a greatsword pinned it to the ground.

She slowly got up, getting over the resignation to her previous fate. She blinked, eyes refocusing on the three people gathering around her.

The first was the burly redhead picking up the sword in front of her. She didn't recognize him, not having played Brave Frontier much, but she recognized the medieval look to him like most Units would have. She made a note to run a Scan on him for the Archive in the Summoner's App.

The second was Ophelia, completely rattled by the fact that her Summoner was a moment away from dog chow before, although she did not show it. She fussed over a few things, checking her in a professional way like a bodyguard would.

The last was a brunette boy who did not look as old as she is, but clearly someone who was worried for her. He held a wooden katana in his right hand, some slime and blood staining it. In fact, he looked like he just went through a battlefield, except he was not hit by any artillery.

It was not the first time though that she had to look down. Not all fourteen-year-olds had this much height capable of intimidating most younger people. Maxwell was definitely lower than 165.1cm, so he looked up to her, literally. It felt awkward, but she did not mind her height much, even though it was one of the reasons she would accidentally ram her head under tree branches.

He gave her a look of total curiosity and asked, "Uh, are you alright?" as if she just survived a clumsy yet serious accident.

It sounded pretty plain and typical for a young and innocent stranger, but Midnight still replied, "I am, and I'm very grateful for your assistance."

He gave a grin. "That's great! So... are you a beginner? Like another Summoner?"

 _So there are Summoners in Woodbury as well._

She still talked with the same composure she always had: "I am as well. Right now though, I need to find some Green Herbs. Do you know what—?"

The boy held up a hand. "I know what they are. They're just right over there, but I got some I can just share with you."

While he took out his smartphone (a bronze iPhone 6 Plus, as opposed to Midnight's... midnight-black Galaxy S6), Ophelia scrutinized the two newcomers. The older redhead beside the boy did the same. Both Units had clearly seen battle, but the man seemed different somehow, like that greatsword of his could rip through Ophelia in one strike. Maybe, but Midnight did not want to test that.

The younger Summoner flicked and tapped the screen a few times, causing Midnight's phone to vibrate in her pocket.

She took it out, finding a request for a trade from a _Summoner (Name Unknown)_.

Some information, like names, are only shown and recorded if the Summoner finds out visually, physically or whatever way you use to get information. Only the 'important' things, like Summoner profiles, maps of hunting grounds, special shops, are stored in the Archives section of the Summoner's App, and sometimes marked on the Spirit Map. Other things like videos, photos, even contact numbers and messages from and to other Summoners need to be done by hand or some other ways.

"I haven't got your name yet, miss...?" the boy spoke up though, asking the question for her.

"Midnight, but that's just a nickname. Fourteen years old." The female Summoner was not quite ready to trust even a naïve-looking boy like him yet.

"That's fine. I'm Maxwell, but that's just my first name. I'm twelve years old, so that makes you two years older than me. I go to Woodbury Private School."

The big Unit beside him raised an eyebrow at this, but otherwise did not protest at giving away important information.

 _But Woodbury Private School... My school. That could mean that there are other Summoners there too._

The name on her Trade display changed to _Maxwell_. He then sent her ten... packs? Clumps? Of herbs. He gifted her those free of charge.

"Maxwell, are you sure...?"

"It's fine Midnight," he said simply. "I mean, those herbs _are_ really easy to find. Don't worry about owing me something!"

She thought of at least owing him a life _for the rescue_ , was what she meant. But maybe not with her limited zel and karma just yet. Maybe another opportunity...

She got an idea. A simple one Maxwell may like. "Maxwell, can you be my Friend?"

He seemed even more attentive than before. "Really!? Sure, we could just give each other our phone numbers—"

"No, no, I did not mean that." She showed him the Friend List screen, found in the Archive section.

"Apparently, Summoners who want to ally together can list each other as Friends. That way, they can automatically send out a distress signal whenever they are fighting, or simply show their location, provided that they remain Active for the former, and allow it themselves for the latter," she explained as she sent a request to _Maxwell_ , having read the guide for it. "It is a shame however, that Friends cannot immediately send each other gifts from long distances, or even messages, but it still is important for any allying Summoners."

He seemed a little put off, but fine with it. "Thanks for telling me all that," the shorter boy said. "Can we give our phone numbers? I mean, if you're okay with it."

She agreed, and they traded numbers.

"Excuse me, Summoner Maxwell," Ophelia said suddenly, looking more stiff than usual.

"Huh?" he replied, probably not used to being addressed with respect. "Anything I can help with?"

"You saved my Summoner's life and possibly saved mine as well. I... just want to say... thanks."

That sounded like something Ophelia was not used to saying, but did anyway. Maxwell seems fine to Midnight.

"Heh, it's fine. I think everyone needs help anyway." Maxwell gave a thin but genuine smile. He seemed kind of a bashful person, but not so carefree.

"Maxwell, I'll meet you again at school. I attend it as well," Midnight told him. He would find out anyway.

"You do...? Oh! You must be Midnight from the Middle School, Class 2-4. Well, you were going into the Most Popular Ten, right?"

 _Of course..._ Such students were chosen by the Student Council, based on their observations over the weeks. It just annoyed Midnight to no longer be incognito.

"They say you're pretty, and I just wanted to say, I guess they're right," he said.

"Thank you," Midnight readily said, trying to decide if it was flattery or—

"I mean it." He gave her a look that was serious enough.

The forester tilted her head slightly to one side, more out of surprise than confusion.

 _M_ _aybe there are more 'geniune' students than I thought in school._

* * *

The Glaive ran for his life, cursing the stupidity of his team captain and his bad luck. He was dead, his other teammates had either escaped or were dead, his Units will not resurrect in time to fight, and their gryphons were lunch to the many Harpies and Cerberuses that suddenly appeared near the landing platform.

They had already received reports that this Freelancer was definitely a stealth-type attacker. Where was the sanity in sending more rookies than veterans to this mission, splitting up and searching the houses? Connie had lost his head to a dagger-thrower, and Minn was gutted by an assassin. Everyone else's Units were eliminated so quick... even his own...

Someone was _giggling._ It was clear the Unit behind him took delight in blood and death.

He ran across the street, went into an alleyway and rolled, letting a rain of kunai embed themselves in the wall in front of him. He scrambled to his feet, boots stepping hard on cobblestone again.

A group of monsters - Cerberuses - bounded into the courtyard he just ran into. With a wave, all of them were drowning in a giant sphere of water that will not last long.

The girl on his heels sang from high up, probably a ruined ceramic roof: _"O knives, o metal, cold steel tastes_ _more bloooood!"_

The Glaive dove into a gaping hole of a side of the house and raised his hand behind him, creating a barrier made of a blue energy. Blades bounced off it.

He ran outside the front door, going onto a red brick street, except moss and wild plants grew between the cracks, but no more than those on the buildings around him did. They all rose high, especially those buildings in the distance, but all of them were ruined in some way, shells of a old glory long past.

He would have liked to stay for a while, examine what its citizens had put into this city, but he had an important desire to get out of here now. He definitely didn't want to stay around a crazed girl who loves death, one that now chased after him. The purple sky did not make this place any more attractive.

What felt like hours of singing, running and knives was probably just a dozen minutes. Eventually he found the defunct technological portal that now served more as a landing platform for their air transport.

But one of his smarter comrades had told them over the phone that she created a portal that should stay open and lead them back to a safehouse. A few were staying behind to guard it and wait for the survivors.

Sure enough, Myris and Burgen were on each side of the blue, circular, shining portal. A magical circle glowed blue underneath it, created using chalk, mini-generators and Sparkies. A few incantations and a burst of power should had been enough to jump-start this year-old invention.

Its destination was shown clearly though: in the middle of a flat rooftop, illuminated by sunshine.

"Did you see anyone else?" Myris asked quickly, looking merely bothered from creating the portal.

He shook his head.

"Well just get-" Burgen was interrupted by screams of agony. The air suddenly felt a little heavy.

Something then blew them all back, although the Glaive ended up going into the portal. He landed on the cement roof with a _thump!_

Slightly dazed, he managed to get to his feet. He had to get them out of there.

 _"Robbie, just go and warn the others!"_ Burgen shouted, sounding blurry as spoke through the portal. A scimitar appeared in his hand with a shimmer in the air.

 _"Good luck to you and your endeavors Water Boy!"_ was what Myris said before she summoned her staff and struck the circle underneath the portal.

The portal shimmered and disappeared with a small fizzing sound. Whatever energy he felt instantly went away as soon as the source was turned off.

Robbie stared at the spot where his friends disappeared, closed his eyes for a moment, opened them and jogged over to the door leading downstairs into the shop below. A friend's uncle ran this place, where they get certain supplies for manufacturing machines and some stuff they do in their free time. He silently hoped that that psycho will get what she deserved.

The Guildmaster was not most forgiving when his men and women under his command are slain.


	6. It's A Whole New World!

_The next day, 22nd of July, Friday morning, 10 o'clock..._

 _Woodbury Middle School Building_

Maxwell took some time to look at the noticeboard. Pinned on it were requests and notices, but taking up most of the space were the many posters to join clubs.

He walked through the school hallways, going to the canteen for the snack break. He still remembered Harvey. But since he was gone, who was in charge of the Newspaper Club? Not that he thought it was important. Maybe he can find out later.

He read more of the rules yesterday once he safely got back home. Apparently, while Summoners can die from any cause, be it a monster mauling you to death or getting rammed by a speeding truck, they still get revived by the Observers after a short period. However, it is not without 'consequences'

Summoners who are 'out' lose their memories of the game and go on to live their life normally, even without drawing suspicion from anyone after being brought back. Their phone becomes inactive for a week if they die of natural causes and reactivates once that period is over. But if they are killed by an entity, it will stay with that killer. But as long as another person, Summoner or not, gives the Summoner's phone to the slain, they regain their memories and may participate in the game, although they may lose some zel, karma and such.

That made Maxwell wonder where Harvey is now, seeing as he should have a dose of bad luck to live with by now. Maybe under a bridge? Or just having a really bad day at another school far away from here? Will he stay like that as long as that mysterious girl has his phone?

That mysterious girl... Cool as she looked, she was familiar. Just a little.

There were still a few more rules to read, but Maxwell hoped he would not forget anything crucial once he was done.

He reached the canteen, looking around for a girl with long black hair. Maybe alone, sitting at a table, looking incredibly bored, a little dark and plainly introverted, people probably looking at her from a distance. He idly imagined telling this to a person.

Which he actually did anyway. A gossipy girl had seen her outside in the yard, under one of the many trees. It seemed to make sense for someone like Midnight. She looked like an outdoor-sy person to him when they first met, despite the clothing.

As soon as Maxwell stepped outside, his head was narrowly crushed by a speeding soccer ball.

Whoever kicked that one must have been really strong, because the tree the ball crashed into made a loud, splintering sound. It stayed there for a moment before detaching and falling to the ground, leaving smoke in the new crater of the tree.

"Uh hey there! Kid?" someone called from across the yard, where there was an unofficial playing field on the dirt of the yard, marked by sticks wedged into four points to form a rectangular area. It wasn't too far even if you walked. The yard is not too big for a true soccer field, but not too small for something like an improvised concert.

But Maxwell focused on the older girl calling to him, who stood out amongst a few other players in a ring. She did not seem to be a student though, wearing a black tank top instead of the girls' red sweaters. She wore black trousers tucked into chestnut-brown laced-up boots, making her look like a drill sergeant.

But she had quite a cheery grin; fitting for her vibrant moss-green eyes and wavy hazel hair that spilled past her shoulders. Streaks of lighter shades of brown ran through her hair, and bangs were swept to the left side of her forehead. Her slightly tanned skin suggests she spends time under the sun, but not at the beach. She was pretty tall for her age, probably sixteen or so, like Elle or some athletic high school girl.

"Hey, can you kick the ball over here?" she called.

"Sure!" Maxwell shouted back, picking up the ball (it was not so hot as seen at first) and giving it a nice kick that sent it flying...

...and once it reached within kicking range (they were pretty near, so the kick was not too hard), the athletic girl kicked it right at a male student, who instantly doubled over as the ball slammed into his chest.

"Nice shot man!" she shouted to Maxwell, calling for her friends to keep playing, as if there hadn't been a casualty. The group continued to play with the ball, except for the poor guy who got socked. He crawled outside of the playing field, nursing his stomach.

Maxwell awkwardly kept on walking, intent on finding his fellow Summoner.

Before they went back to their houses in the same neighborhood, she had asked him a variety of questions, mainly about his family and childhood, and how long he had been a Summoner.

He asked her that question too, the answer being surprisingly one day as well. Started yesterday, in fact. He kind of expected her to be experienced as she looked. When he asked why, since the first Mission started roughly a week ago, he only got a deadpan stare and a reply to meet her later tomorrow on the first recess, and trust to not backstab her. Not that it would happen anyway, seeing as they were Friends.

He soon saw Midnight under one of the clumps of trees, on a bench and reading a novel. She was wearing the girls' school uniform: a beetroot red sweater with sleeves reaching past her wrists, a dark green bowtie around her white-collared shirt underneath, like Maxwell's, and a knee-length black skirt. She still wore the same hunting boots, and Maxwell could see the long white thigh-highs rising out of the boots.

Whatever that novel was, it somehow allowed Maxwell to get up close without the girl noticing. She was rather focused on it.

 _I don't think Midnight of all people would not notice me though... She said something about hunting a few rabbits before right?_

She was still engrossed with her book. Maxwell gently tapped her on the shoulder-

 _Swish! Thunk!_

Fast as lightning, a knife embedded itself in a tree next to Maxwell. Midnight's right hand was outstretched while the book was closed in her left.

 _That knife was in her sleeve this whole time!?_ She had been holding up the book with the left hand, while the right was resting on her lap.

It was cool, but Maxwell slowly looked at the small foldable knife in the tree. You could throw it like a dart and no one would notice if you hid it in your sleeve. Midnight truly is a natural assassin.

Somehow, no one noticed. Midnight's eyes seemed to refocus for a second before she blinked.

"Maxwell? My... my apologies. I was reading about this particular move in this novel." She seemed to be calm now, thankfully.

"I-It's a-all right. I mean, I'll probably get hurt and all later fighting anyway," Maxwell managed to reply, calming his heart down.

She looked around to ensure no one was looking, then dashed over to the tree and swiftly plucked the knife out. It was safely withdrawn into her blazer's sleeve.

She then turned to look at Maxwell, asking, "I assume you do not have much knowledge about this so called 'game' we are in."

"Not a clue why or what," he agreed.

"Now, we have approximately the next nine hours before the next Daily Mission appears. By the time school is over, we would have four hours to freely do whatever we want."

After their Daily Mission, a timer appeared when Maxwell checked on the Summoner's App when he wanted to dismiss Avant. It had already started counting down from 24:00:00. By the time it ends, a Daily Mission would certainly appear.

"And what are we gonna talk about?"

Midnight gazed at Maxwell with a look he was familiar of: partial exasperation.

"Resources, other Summoners, new equipment and weapons, the like of course."

"We can't keep on using simple manmade stuff can we? Avant said I can't use my bokken on Fire-types anyway."

The taller girl nodded. "But while I am not very familiar with the game itself, we were able to retrieve several materials like those Green Herbs. They were rather common in that area."

Maxwell had already caught up to what she was going to say. "We could find other materials from Brave Frontier, and use them to make better items and stuff! But... how do we do that? In the game, we just find the materials and Karma, go to the Sphere House and press buttons to make them. Do we just actually make them like we do in real life or something?"

Midnight muttered something like 'We use Karma?' and went back to the bench, sitting on it and looking thoughtful. Maxwell sat down beside her on the long seat.

"The game instructions had mentioned Emotispheres," she said.

Maxwell had read about that in the guide given. Emotispheres were special Spheres unique to the bearer, helped given form by the Summoner's App and will appear any time during times of great stress. But to accelerate the process, Empty Spheres can be bought. These eventually fill with energy over time, but are guaranteed to only start at their lowest form.

"Like they are... emoticons?" Maxwell asked, unrelated as it sounds.

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it is like that, although supposedly they are emotions given form. Perhaps the term was coined by a Summoner from our world, not that anything was ever said about it. At any rate, we can replace Emotispheres temporarily with our current equipment, but there are still other items of interest we could find from Brave Frontier."

"Huh... Do you think we can find some place where we can make stuff?"

 _ **~~~LD~~~**_

 _New York Penn Station, 3 o'clock in the afternoon_

 _"You have arrived at Pennsylvania Station. You have arrived at Pennsylvania Station."_

As a huge wave of people burst out of the train doors, two teenage girls stood out, going along with the flow. They were not weird-looking, but they simply look and act... more unique.

One of the girls had waist-long, wavy black hair and shiny violet eyes. She wore a lavender vest over a white T-shirt, a purple skirt that reached her knees and wrinkled brown laced-up boots. A big red ribbon tied up a long lock of her hair at the back, which seemed to stand out the most in her outfit. A small round earring made of attractive gold and diamond decorated each of her ears. Her little grin was something to be taken note of, like she expected an adventure with every step.

The other had curly creamy-pink hair that reached her shoulder-blades. Her lapis lazuli eyes were less eye-catching. She wore a pink sweater over a blue skirt with black leggings underneath, normal black and white running shoes, and an orange puppy hair clip, tongue waggling, clipping hair together to the right of her head. In her arms, pressed to her chest, was a pink dog plushie. She looked like a softie who did not have any intention of hurting anyone, yet is not afraid to tell someone off.

The pair walked into the station's concourse, standing by the escalators that would lead to some shops and restaurants. The bustling crowds before them were overwhelming, especially for the creamy-pink girl, but both of them did their best to look for a driver friend who was supposed to meet them here.

It was all arranged by a mutual friend of theirs, which happened to be one of the girl's cousins.

"Gee... You think Yuro would at least make sure everything is here on time," the girl in purple complained.

"Now now Lunar, at least we... managed right?" her partner tried to pacify her.

"We missed the train _somehow_ before, all because the taxi driver was new to his job, and way before that the flight that got us here forced us to wake up at like..." Lunar yawned for a moment. "Five o'clock, YESTERDAY."

"I think it was six maybe, but you're still tired?"

"Shimmer, I needed my beauty sleep and so did you, and I wasn't finished watching anime. Although, I think I see our ride over there."

The middle-aged driver was friendly enough, taking them to a car and driving them to a hotel named Holiday Inn, in Midtown. He asked them a few questions, mostly about where they were from and if New York City was what they expected.

Well, it was certainly crowded, they can say that for sure now. The streets were pretty easy to navigate if you got a map and started living in the city for a while. But it was the many pedestrians and vehicles that surprised them a little. They seemed so natural against the background of the city, what with their assorted clothes and all, but each one clearly had a purpose. All of that seemed to involve going somewhere.

That was what Shimmer thought until she saw a badly-dressed homeless man pushing a trolley and causing the crowd he was in to go around him, like a rock that jutted out of a river with a fast current. The only purpose he clearly had was to make a living selling whatever was in the trolley, which even then did not erase the manic look from his eyes.

"That bloke's been around here for awhile now, selling junk and whatnot," the driver said when they waited for a red light. "I got no idea what he's got, but you'd probably do well to steer clear of him."

Shimmer heard the shutters and clicking of a camera. She turned from the homeless one to see Lunar with her phone out.

"Lunar, did you just take a picture of that man?" Shimmer could already predict what she was going to say though.

"A hobo just stood out amongst the crowd Shimmer!" the older girl whispered loudly. "Those weird, orange and ragged clothes, those strange items he was selling, and the fact that he's been around here for some time..."

"You want to meet that old man?"

"Yup!"

"But... we got something to do here remember?"

"Uh huh, but it's gonna take like... three more hours before that guy gets here. C'mon Shimmer we got the time!"

Shimmer did not see the point in doing that, but two things: 1. Lunar can be stubborn and determined, and 2. she is the type to get into trouble, despite her fighting prowess. Both of these facts meant Shimmer, as her unofficial guardian, had to make sure nothing bad happened.

"F-Fine, but we'll see him _after_ we get to the Inn," Shimmer said.

It took two hours to get settled into their new lodgings, then half an hour to rouse Lunar from her power nap in one comfy bed. Eventually they walked back to the spot where they saw the old man, seeing as it was near to the Inn.

He wasn't in the middle of the crossing, so Lunar suggested going to the nearby alleyways, where 'a little of the generally unfortunate part of society would typically to live in'. They looked around the dusty alley, finding it to be riddled with dustbins and dumpsters, but no hoboes.

"Well hey there!"

"Hyai!?" Shimmer jumped and made a sound between a yelp and a greeting. Lunar just whirled around.

It was the homeless guy, grinning at them by the wall behind them. The same trolley they saw earlier stayed next to him, loaded with all sorts curious trinkets.

"Hey mister!" the older woman greeted properly. "We saw you selling some stuff and they kinda looked interesting. Can we see them?"

The stranger obliged happily, showing off junk, all of which were supposedly valuable. There were a few springs, gears, levers, clock faces, mechanical stuff, but there were few other pieces of practical-looking metal and more kiddy and fluffy stuff.

Shimmer hugged her pink, fluffy dog, taking comfort in its fluffiness. This weirdo was giving off strange waves of suspicion, but the shy girl paid more attention to how better the stuffed toys could have been improved. She gasped silently when she saw stuffing coming out of one teddy bear. Seeing them in such a bad state made her want to steal them all and sew them back up, but that would be rude to the homeless man.

Lunar picked up a golden medallion, wreaths rimming it. " _Summer... Olympics..._ Seriously, this golden medal got here of all places?"

"Oh I assure you its genuine! But y'know, there's something funny about it," the man said.

"Oh? Do tell."

"See, ever since I found it in a bin, from just another day of scavengin', I keep gettin' gold stuff."

"Wh-What!?" It seemed that Lunar just bought the story. "Then how are you not a rich dude?"

"Ho there, it ain't real gold! It's just painted stuff."

"Aww..."

"I know right? If you ask me thought, it's magic!"

 _Magic..._

"We'll buy it!" The young woman fished her wallet out of her pocket and looked for change.

"L-Lunar!?" Shimmer exclaimed at this.

"What? I mean when a guy who's obviously got nothing better to do than to sift through potential treasure, he's probably truthful most of the time."

Shimmer looked at the man. He was playing around with a purple _My Little Pony_ figurine.

The younger girl sighed heavily. "Lunar, are you sure about this? I mean, what if it's cursed and gives you measles like last time? That was you being a careless idiot!"

"You gotta make the first steps Shimmer, even if it means stepping into lava- I mean maybe brambles and stuff. You know what I mean."

"That's..."

The man's eyes glinted.

A few minutes later, they were back at the lobby, Lunar looking satisfied with all her purchases in one plastic bag. Shimmer decided to buy a compass and a cute little phone strap of a skeleton.

"Lunar Rin? Shimmer Xin?" A man called for them in the lobby.

The man was definitely older than them, in his twenties with his sandy-blond hair. He looked like he came from the beach, in a red Hawaiian buttoned shirt and yellow bleached shorts. He carried a large green backpack that stood out in his outfit.

"That our guy?" Lunar muttered to Shimmer.

"Maybe..." They were supposed to meet with an operative here, who was going to give them mission details and such. Although they were here to reinforce their secret army's hold here, they were not told of the situation in America. So, their Guild, being one of the more free-er ones these days from the missions sent to them, spared two 'professional' Summoners to help with the critical situation here.

The older guy walked up to them, literally looking down on them due to his tall height.

"You two are the professionals being sent? I don't think you look like much, but something tells me you're much more than that."

 _He has good judgment._ "We are," Shimmer squeaked, not comfortable with strangers. "Is there anything we're supposed to do here, that we couldn't get an email of a check-up of this country?"

"You'll see Glaives," he assured them, giving a small grin. "We got a place we need you to scout out."

* * *

 _Woodbury, Rifferton Pine Mall_

 _3 o'clock in the afternoon..._

"The map says it's around here somewhere..." Maxwell muttered, looking at a dark corner, near the door that leads to the power room for the mall.

Midnight looked around too, feeling the walls. She felt her hands brush something solid, yet warm and a little uneven.

She suddenly felt herself shift in place and felt light, before she first smelled dirt and woodsmoke.

She quickly looked around, feeling an atmosphere of calm and intrigue; a large change from the more relaxed one of the mall.

The forester was standing in the middle of an ornate circle of interwoven lines like drapes, white chalk on black stone. Modern-looking teenagers and adults warped in after a rainbow shimmer appeared. Midnight saw someone walk towards the circle, stood still and waited, shimmered and disappeared.

Mystical as it was, the light proved to be distracting and annoying, so she tried to look at something else.

The circle was in the middle of a clearing in a thick forest, trunks wider than most cars that squeezing through them will not work. The leaves were varying shades of green and glinting orange as leaves reflected predawn light in the sky, which was odd, since she knew it was three when she checked the time. Tall columns of smoke rose in one direction over the treetops, obscuring some of the light here. A cobblestone path out of the circle led towards where the smoke is.

"Midnight!"

She heard Maxwell from behind her, and turned to face him. He looked a little flabbergasted, but otherwise relieved.

"I thought I lost you there!" he said.

"Sorry about the sudden disappearance Maxwell," she replied.

"Yeah... but at least you found the portal. So."

He did a slow three-sixty spin, taking in his surroundings. "This is Cinuel Dunmi? The World of Lasting Dawn?"

"Indeed it is, and I'm proud to be an inhabitant!"

A green imp - a Healing Imp Fwahl - floated over to them in a friendly manner. Unlike most imps, it had a blue band with golden stars embroidered into the silk.

"Welcome to Cinuel Dunmi, a pleasant world, but more importantly, I daresay you newcomers have come here for more important matters?"

* * *

 _ **It was rather tough, trying to type this new draft while managing my homework and such, but I finally got this finished.**_

 _ **It was sort of a new experience, having to research about places in real life for this story. Some things may seem inaccurate, but that was the point of adding fictional places like Woodbury and Clemen to this world. Perhaps if I altered a few things in real places, maybe it would not be so bad a thing as I thought.**_

 _ **Anyway, three OCs have been introduced. Writers, I hope you liked how I wrote them.**_

 _ **Other than that, Cinuel Dunmi is actually an anagram for the Latin phrase 'in luce mundi' (or so Google Translate said), which means 'world in dawn'. Nothing else too significant I suppose.**_

 _ **At any rate I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you until the next one.**_


	7. Its Our Wishes

_Cinuel Dunmi_

"No way, a real forge!"

"Interesting weapons..."

"You two certainly are beginners here!"

The two newbie Summoners had arrived near the entrance of the village of Persis, a very recent establishment full of refugees from Elgaia until Lucius's agents found them.

More on that backstory later, Fwahl acted as their tour guide, clearing enjoying their reactions. It made Maxwell wonder if the past Summoners were like them, goofing off and being amazed by all the sights presented to them.

Well who wouldn't be? As a rookie who until recently had nothing to do with fantasy and magic, believing it to be all a big dream, hidden somewhere no one could reach (although Maxwell thought there were a few who did), here they were now, standing in the middle of a traffic of Summoners and townspeople.

"Mister Fwahl," Midnight politely asked, "do you know where we can find good equipment for us beginners?"

"Well, first of all, Fwahl could have meant you referring to many of my brethren. Call me Saxo instead," Fwahl re-introduced himself, puffing out his flashy blue silk band around his crown.

"Like saxophone?" Maxwell inquired.

"Why yes. A friendly Summoner had given the name to me when I never had one in the first place, because I happened to be playing a trumpet on my first day!"

"But I digress," he... it(?) said. "Now, the ever-popular blacksmiths - the Industrial District - can be found over there~" He pointed to their right.

They were standing at a crossroads, although it looked like a garden rake from where Maxwell was looking, with the path behind them as the shaft, and the three others as the prongs. In the middle of the crossroads was a signpost that told of the places reachable in all four directions. To their right, as Saxo pointed out, Maxwell could see smoke rising above the trees. Many people coming to and from that direction were lugging bags and carts full of materials, armor and weapons, presumably to supply their friends and allies, wherever they are.

"And to your left, we have the Commercial District."

Past the wood, Maxwell could see glimpses of a few buildings and less smoke over the trees than he saw coming from the Industrial District. The people who came from the left looked like they had been enjoying themselves, or had backpacks padding their backs, making _clink_ and _squish_ sounds as they walked past them.

"Finally, in front of you is Persis's Residential District and Central Hub. There, you will find an adventurer's guild that distributes missions available in this world or others, and interesting information concerning your world, Cinuel Dunmi, and Elgaia, Grand Gaia and more. Furthermore, you can find a few more... 'unique' services there than in the Commercial District."

Saxo did a dramatic twirl in the air and faced the two. "Before you run off and explore every nook and cranny of this place, which I don't recommend, I need to brief you on the main rules everyone has to abide by."

"First" -he held up his point finger- "Glaives and Gauntlets, assuming they do recognize who is on whose side, are not allowed to attack each other in this world, where its inhabitants do not appreciate war or any more violence in this time. If there are any conflicts between Summoners that need to be solved, they can take it to an arena just outside of town."

"Second, like I said before, any 'violent' issues between any person can be settled in the arena outside, where a town official will oversee any matches. As for other, less physical issues, they can be taken to the Town Hall."

"Third, and most obvious, there will be the elite town guard who will arrest any person committing any crimes, ranging from theft to trespassing to murder, as listed in the more official laws. A bounty will be issued on the renegade(s) responsible."

"Lastly, all travelers are welcome to the many villages and towns that riddle Cinuel Dunmi. There are several teleportation areas or gates that lead to other places in this large world, but take care of going too far. The Rift you came through is your only way back to your home, so long as you have registered it on your devices. The phones will remember the Rifts you came through, which will be brought up on a menu once you are near a Rift, but multiple Rifts from Earth can lead to a larger, but same one, like the one you came through. Any other Rift from here, and you'll be lost in a different place on Earth, or even worse, another world. See the board that you saw on the way in for a map."

"Now children, if you need any help, come see me at the Town Hall, just by the Noticeboard. If I'm not there, then my assistant Namel will take my place. I wish you an enjoyable time here in Persis!"

The green imp flew off, leaving Midnight and Maxwell to do whatever from there.

"Soooo..." Maxwell said, looking up at his tall partner. "Equipment?"

The Chinese girl nodded. "To the blacksmiths. I hope not to be disappointed."

"What's there to be disappointed about? I mean, this is a whole new world we're in!" The two started walking as they talked.

"It is, but there are dangers you have already encountered." Midnight looked up at the purple-tinged orange skies. "Although, there are some silver linings."

The further they walked, the more crowded it became. Maxwell had noticed several people in gear and flashy armor from the path to the Platform (how are they going to hide it on Earth is something Maxwell may find out later), but many of the people here wore even better clothes and equipment. As if they did not look any more intimidating or cooler, they had weapons at their sides that may well obliterate Maxwell with one swing. His bokuto is definitely like a toothpick to a chainsaw here.

The two rookies looked around together, deciding to get simple weapons first if they couldn't afford full sets of armor or anything else. The shopkeepers and smiths sold stuff for zel and Gems and a few other interesting things, while the rookies had only some zel and precious Gems from their previous battles and Quest to use.

The main problem at the moment though were the low stocks. It seemed that a few big Guilds and Summoners had bought nearly all the equipment many of the smiths had, so people were hard-pressed to find some things to support their respective groups with.

"Huh, that guy said there were Guilds," Maxwell noted, albeit a little down at the imposed difficulty of finding equipment.

"There are." Midnight continued to look around as they talked a little. "These Guilds are more or less what you would expect in most MMORPGs: large groups of allied players working together towards a common goal. As far as I know, this helps to identify who Summoners are working with, and receive special Quests. The system had been implemented in the game recently. The app, I mean."

"Do you think we can-"

Midnight shook her head. "A Guild requires a minimum of five people, and besides, I still do not consider you as a friend anyway."

"What!?" Did he come off like that? Or did he act too sincere? "I'm not weird or... bad or anything."

"It's trust that matters now Maxwell, if I want to consider you one. But you can still hope that perhaps one day, we can enjoy a good relationship with each other."

They soon found a small wooden shack with stone brick supports, although it looked pitiful compared to the other stalls and buildings around it. Hanging by chains to a wooden pole was a wooden sign that named the shack: _Sergun's Monster Wares_. There were bone-like weapons and furry armor displayed in racks under a stretched canvas roof though, so that was a good sign.

Inside, behind the counter, was a russet-haired and tall young man, maybe several years older than them, sorting a few pieces of what looked like milk-white teeth on a table, illuminated by the sunlight pouring into a window in the moderately high ceiling. More racks of blades, clubs and long club-like horns that looked like something out of _Monster Hunter_ lined racks and filled barrels. All of them had one thing in common though: they were made of wild monster parts.

The man was still fussing over the workbench, muttering things like 'adjustments' and 'cheap stuff' until Maxwell made themselves known.

"Uh hey there sir?" he asked politely.

"Heh?" The man whipped his head around. He stared at them for a moment and blinked.

"O-Oh customers!" He quickly walked over to them, dusting white and green dust off him.

Up close, he looked a little tired and weary, but clearly looking like he was twenty. The shopkeeper/crafter wore an apron made out of raw, wrinkled blue hide, red tunic, leather pants and boots. There was still plenty of the dust on his apron, and his shoulders looked like they were recently soaked in blood, but he still grinned.

"My name is Fenkis. Welcome to my workshop! Not exactly many shops around here sell things made of raw monster material, and I don't have much to promote my wares, but there's plenty of equipment you two can peruse."

The two spread out, determined to find the most suitable weapon first before armor, but most of the items here were mixed up. But Fenkis's stuff always interested Maxwell no matter what, like an eye painted over a staff, spikes protruding out of bone clubs; everything clearly came from something that was living and tough.

"Mr. Fenkis?" Maxwell asked, realizing he won't be able to sort through everything.

"Call me Fenkis."

"I'm looking for a katana." He then thought of _Monster Hunter_ again. "A _bone_ katana, or something like that."

Fenkin scrutinized Maxwell's body. "You're not exactly well-built, but you carry that bokken with experience. May I see that?"

Once the crafter finished examining the given sword, he said, "Pretty balanced. Long enough to be like an ordinary broadsword, but not too long obviously... Not too much power because of that, yet weight compensates for it..."

He snapped his fingers. "I'll be right back," said the crafter, who went behind the counter.

Maxwell picked up a katana once he was gone. He unsheathed it smoothly, just like he usually did with his bokken, observing the ridges on the blade. It was uneven on the surface, rough when Maxwell straddled it, but he knew it would feel more like a cleaver if he used it in battle.

He then remembered Elle telling him it's dangerous to play with sharp things, so he carefully placed it back as it was.

Midnight was examining a pair of purple daggers, placed them back on the shelf they came from, then moved to another section of shiny blades.

Maxwell walked over to see her lifting a knife, swinging it at an imaginary enemy. "Do you think that's a good one Midnight?" he asked once she was finished.

Midnight twirled the blade. "...No. Not quite right." She put it back on the shelf.

Maxwell heard something hard bump against wood behind the counter. He turned to see Fenkin holding something katana-shaped in his arms, wrapped with white fabric.

"Here it is..." Fenkin placed it on the counter and unraveled it.

The bone katana was a little longer than the bokken, like an o katana*, except it had a much sharper edge. The one-sided blade had a yellow-brown hue to its white material, most of it gathered on the back. A grip with brown leather wrapped around concentric bones allowed Maxwell to hold it safely, with a bigger cylindrical bone acting as a counterweight at the end.

It looked amazing. Maxwell lifted it up and held it, testing its weight. "Fenkin, this is... awesome!"

"By the way," Fenkin said as he brought up another white bundle, "I think you might be interested in this Miss."

A pair of identical katanas were laid out before Midnight. They were both shorter than the bone katana, like chisa katanas*. Their blades were much whiter than the one Maxwell had, with green scales wrapped around the wooden handles.

She picked them up and immediately did a spin on her toe, a little like a ballerina. While she didn't reach out with her blades, which would've caused quite a storm in the cramped shop, she seemed very satisfied once she stopped.

"I - or rather we - will take them. Thank you Fenkin. How much do they cost?"

* * *

 _Residential District_

Yume Airi, once again, thanked whatever gods of the universe that the people in this crowd stood out even more than she did. The clothing back on Earth would have had nothing on the style here. Still, some Summoners wore normal clothing anyway, so no matter what kind of clothing she wore (except revealing or awesome ones), no one would look her way twice in a crowd like this.

The sixteen-year-old Japanese girl took care to keep to the side of the street. It seemed that today was not a particularly busy day, and there were more people at the Industrial District. Even so, she might attract too much attention if she fidgeted around people.

A habit she could never get rid of, even after she faced so many dangers before, lost so many friends in the First Global War...

Harry... Mei...

She balled her fists and kept walking.

She was dressed casually: a black button-up T-shirt with long sleeves, fingers just poking out of the sleeves, black jeans and matching padded shin-guards, and black high-top sneakers with moonlight-silver buckles. With waist-length, curly, chocolate brown hair almost as dark as her ink black eyes, she would have passed for an emo, except she was cute, and without the horrible makeup.

Her short side bangs were swept to the left, covering that side's eye and reaching a little past her perky nose, so her right eye did all the scouting she needed. She was very used to being alone and alert for the first sign of social trouble, including being hit on by guys.

Yume turned her head to see a large group of Summoners who returned from the Vortex, laughing about some joke, after a long day of hunting down golden ghosts. There was a girl she recognized at her academy though, and she didn't want to be caught by her and the other girls in the group. What if they recognized her? She couldn't afford being the center of attention.

She hurried, eager to meet her Gauntlet partners.

Currently the Gauntlets had set up a camp in the woods for their forward base of operations. It was very far - over a kilometer probably - from the village, as stated in the rules for base-building in Cinuel Dunmi, in order to preserve the villagers' safety. The point of this base was to gather resources for the next Global War, so it was more of a... supply base than one fit for command.

The darkness of Yume's surroundings seemed to reach out for her though once she was weaving around trees and bushes. The trees here were thick enough to block plenty of near-eternal predawn light, and despite the gunner's affinity to Dark elements, something about this particular spot disturbed her very spirit. Running for miles was much more preferable than sticking around these spooky woods.

Unfortunately, she was doing both, and she had a job to do and her life potentially on the line. That wish could bring everything back to the way they were...

* * *

 _"Tell me, how was the past year?"_

 _"P-Past year?"_

 _"I mean, well, you obviously went through so much."_

 _"I ... I went through a lot. I got to make new friends. New memories. A-And lost a lot of them..."_

 _"The rules of this game allows you to find your friends, give them their memories back once you hand them their phones, essentially_ _reviving them. Although, they were not dead in the first place. What is stopping you?"_

 _"I already found them all but... they're all... sad. Sadder than I've ever heard and seen before._

 _"Sad? Oh, you mean they died several times already, thus piling up their 'bad luck' and leading to their more difficult lives."_

 _"A-And I don't want to lose them all...! They were having enough bad times before they got into this fight over wishes and survival, a-and I don't want anymore of them to suffer!"_

 _"Well then... you're still here, and I can help with that."_

 _"Wh-What are you talking about?"_

 _"What if I said I knew how to take care of all the bad things in their lives and return their memories of each other and you?"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"The wishes we grant can only be within reason. Resurrection? Too extreme. But riches? Memories? Extended lifespans? Good fortune?"_

 _"And you can help my friends...?"_

 _"Yes. And to do that, you need to win a war."_

* * *

 _ **Sorry for being so late. Occupied with my new story (and other ones) and writer's block are all hard things.**_

 _ **At any rate, Yume Airi belongs to Curiously A Theory.**_

 _ **O Katana - Basically a katana with a longer blade.**_

 _ **Chisa Katana - A katana with a shorter blade than the normal one.**_


	8. DISCONTINUATION NOTE

Author's Note:

It is as the chapter title says: Lost Dream is discontinued.

To those of you that care, do not worry, there is a new story with a revised setting, story, and all that would make the reboot of this story (I feel, at least) to be better:

Dreamers' Chronicles.

Lost Dream did not leave me with a sense of satisfaction the further I wrote. What I felt like I did was just writing a big public draft; the worlds, planet Earth, the characters, the Units, all the powers that exist—it all was incomplete, and I wanted to try again with a smaller focus. And so I started with Dreamers' Chronicles, essentially a successor to Lost Dream, a story I deemed was too unpolished.

Dreamers' Chronicles would be far from being the same as the first story, but certain things such as characters, pasts, locations and such would be similar or the same. The new story will not be here as soon as I upload this new chapter, but its first chapter, an author's note, should be coming soon. Prepare your OCs, if you have any (especially for you new readers), until then.

With that, this is Cryptek12, signing off.


End file.
